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Film reviews

Whitney Houston: I wanna Dance with Somebody Review

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Naomie Ackie is the right actress to portray Whitney Houston. Her performance soars in Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody. Ackie has the voice, the looks, and the personality. She is ferocious and poised for success. Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody is an honest,compelling true story which shows how the stakes for becoming successful are high and the personal risks of fame can often be overwhelming. The tensions created on Whitney’s rise to the top are exposed throughout the film.

The movie is brilliantly displayed in chronological order of thecharacters in Whitney’s life. They include her parents John and Cissy Houston (played by Clarke Peters and Tamara Tunie). There is also Clive Davis (played by Stanley Tucci) and Bobby Brown (played by Ashton Sanders). John and Clive play the marketing and sales roles in promoting Whitney’s incredibletalent. Bobby, unfortunately, adds much of the damage to Whitney’s life. While Whitney reaps the rewards of her music and royalties, her careless behavior also leads to many irreparable consequences. The question is whether she can hold it all together by finding a way out the complicated stressors in her life.

The film begins with an early focus on Whitney and jumps right into her singing career. Fans will enjoy revisiting her true moments of fame, including when she sang at the Super Bowl, her successful movies, and concert tours. Her music, however, is when she displays the struggles in her life and creates moments of despair as well as inspiration. Whitney experienced fame, abuse, and neglect. The performance by Ackie is outstanding as she portrays the real Whitney regaining her faith. Clive helps her achieve renewed success as he builds a track record of contracts and associated fame.

What captivated me the most during the film was the working relationship between Whitney and Clive. Tucci delivers a performance that is encouraging and motivating. He helps Whitney find her voice and the meaning in her music. He also helps her to establish the public image that will help her sellrecords. Whitney’s life of turmoil is saturated in the film and Tucci’s performance provides the guide to Whitney’s redemption. The film has many sad scenarios, but it is powerful in finding hope for Whitney.

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody was an experience of lightness and darkness surrounding the many stages of Whitney’s life. It displays an emphasis on reality and shows that money and fame do not buy someone happiness. The spiraling conflicts caused by her financial success sets off awhirlwind of mental stressors eventually causing the light to hit a sad plateau.

The film showcases many memorable songs, a history of Whitney’s accomplishments, and also various personality clashes. Despite the realistic and sad issues, Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody is a stellar movie of musical appreciation. It will turn tears into joy and appreciation. Three and a half stars.

58th Chicago International Film Festival, Film reviews

Aftersun Review

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Aftersun is a film in which people look at their lives both past and present. Aftersun is filled with melancholy moments, but they display endearment. This may not be a feel-good movie. However, it is breathtaking in terms of its narrative.  Aftersun’s positive light is the struggle which involves mixed feelings between a father and a daughter.

The film focuses on a father, Calum, and his daughter Sophie. Calum is played by Paul Mescal and Sophie is played by Frankie Corio. They are on a vacation together and experience frustrations with each other and with themselves. They have their good days, but also bad days when their fun plans fall apart. Aftersun is about the struggle of accepting the hard life that Calum and Sophie lead. Calum has a rough past, and so does Sophie. Her father does the best he can to be a good father, although it is hard for Sophie to see that in him. It is also difficult for her to accept that he oversees her.

Aftersun is a film that feels experimental because it closely follows the dynamics of Calum and Sophie’s relationship. Their vacation is filled with tension and the intriguing narrative connects effectively with the film’s cinematography. Aftersun portrays true feelings of disconnect in a surreal tone of dramatic filmmaking. The conflicted relationship between Calum and Sophie is unique. It shows that they have hatred, but deeply want to feel connected with each other. In Mescal’s role as Calum, he displays a generous amount of love as a father. In Corio’s role as Sophie, she displays belligerent behavior as a daughter. Aftersun’s story of attempted reconciliation is deep with irreparable consequences.  The emotions between Calum and Sophie are purely sad, but purely engrossing.

With the complicated frustrations and tension between Calum and Sophie, Aftersun flows like a depressing story. However, it is about Calum and Sophie figuring out how to get on the same page to maintain their relationship. The story is about how they come to terms of acceptance, despite their dark past. Calum’s challenging childhood drags her into his suffering. Aftersun is ultimately about forgiveness and second chances despite the struggles between them.

Aftersun is hard to feel positive about. I did appreciate the movie for its realist portrayal of a difficult subject. I found reflecting upon how relationships tend to hurt so much with the ones we love most. The film’s direction and style of filmmaking is faithful to life and society. Three stars for Aftersun.

Film reviews

Babylon Review

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Director Damien Chazelle’s films create worlds like no other. Babylon is about the movie industry and it has lots of fictionalized characters who are fueled by drugs and glamor. Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie play the leads, and they are two who will definitely tango. Babylon will make viewers’ heads spin, but it may also challenge their gut with its repulsiveness.

Babylon is set in the 1920s golden days of Hollywood, when sound was just being introduced to cinema. Jack Conrad, played by Pitt, is a cinema tycoon, and he is one crazy party animal. Nellie LaRoy, played by Robbie, is the next big female actress talent, but she has drug problems. Manny Torres, played by Diego Calva, is an assistant for the projects involving Conrad and LaRoy. We first meet Manny when an elephant is being delivered to a party being thrown by Conrad, and it only gets crazier from there. Another quirky character is James McKay, played by Tobey Maguire. He’s in a supporting role, but one with some secrets that the audience will find surprising.

Babylon actually has many surprises, including a scenario where someone is fighting a snake in front of a party. Expect lots of drugged up mayhem, nudity, and all kinds of bizarre situations from the mind of Chazelle. But it becomes repetitive, and sometimes just plain silly. There are some amazing performances, but the frequent parties tends to be boring, especially in a film that’s just over three hours long.

Despite the moments of boredom, Babylon manages to weave some joy between the accomplishments and mayhem of its characters. But this is mostly just Hollywood movie people going insane with danger and fierce competitions for success. Conrad is Hollywood royalty with fame and money. LaRoy has the looks and the talent to rise through the star ranks, but will she be able conquer her drug addictions? It seems that everyone is out of control in Babylon.

Babylon is a film with some cinematic energy but, overall, I would call it just all right. It’s a film that is certainly not perfect, and I have some serious issues with it. I felt at times like Chazelle was almost trying to make Babylon seem like a Martin Scorsese film, and I think that its writing is over-the-top in places. It isn’t for everyone, and I personally found it rather overwhelming. Two and a half stars for Babylon.